RAISING VICTOR VARGAS

You will find a tender, amusing family story here. The grandmother’s efforts to raise her wayward grandson are touching, and the romance gradually moves Victor away from his pursuit of romantic conquests toward learning how to treat a girl. A church scene and the grandmother’s Roman Catholic faith give the film a light Christian worldview.

But the R rating is not incidental. The movie contains about 78 mostly strong obscenities and 10 light profanities, along with implied fornication, sexual situations involving teenagers, nudity, and smoking. Those elements undercut the film’s sweetness and make it unsuitable for children and young teens.

If you are a discerning adult willing to weigh those concerns against the movie’s family warmth and positive moral movement, it is worth seeing. For a family audience, choose something else.

Victor is a Dominican American teenager living in New York City with his grandmother, who is raising him, his brother and his sister. A summer spent dreaming about romantic conquests changes when Victor meets Judy, a girl who keeps him at arm’s length.

As their tentative courtship develops, Victor also tries to bring Judy’s younger brother together with his sister. His grandmother’s faith and Judy’s careful instruction begin to challenge the wild boy’s understanding of romance, responsibility and family.

Three stars means this is a good, appealing film whose content keeps it from being an easy recommendation. The character study is winsome, and the romance is sweet despite its provocative opening. The grandmother’s attempts to raise Victor are both touching and amusing.

Altagracia Guzman is charming as the indomitable grandmother. Victor Rasuk and Judy Marte are also winsome in the romantic leads. Strains of Johann Sebastian Bach help mitigate the movie’s foul language, though they cannot erase its significance.

The film presents family responsibility and patient guidance positively. Victor’s grandmother is raising her grandchildren alone, and her steady care helps shape the boy. Judy’s gentle, careful instruction also teaches Victor to approach a girl with greater respect rather than treating romance as a series of conquests.

The grandmother’s Roman Catholic faith is part of the family’s life, and a church scene appears to influence Victor positively. The film’s worldview is light rather than deeply developed, but it affirms family bonds, moral growth and the value of learning how to treat others well. Its sexual content, however, conflicts with the more wholesome direction of Victor’s growth.

The film’s central longing is for family connection and mutual care. Scripture likewise calls families to practice godliness toward one another: “let them first learn to show godliness to their own household” (1 Timothy 5:4).

This is a winsome, sweet character study with a touching grandmother and a positive moral direction. Its significant language and sexual content make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family night, consider.